Marvin Johnson’s sixth-minute goal saw Sheffield Wednesday to a 1-0 victory over the Blues at Hillsborough. Johnson volleyed Nathaniel Mendez-Laing’s cross into the net from the Owls’ first attack of the game and Wednesday had a number of chances to increase their lead with the Blues rarely threatening to get back on terms.
Dominic Thompson was handed his Town debut and Idris El Mizouni returned to the XI for the first time since Kieran McKenna took charge as the Blues boss made five changes from the team which beat Wimbledon 2-0 on Tuesday with front three Macauley Bonne, Bersant Celina and Conor Chaplin all back in the side.
Thompson, who joined on loan from Brentford on Thursday, was at left wing-back with Kane Vincent-Young suspended for one match having been sent off at Plough Lane.
El Mizouni joined Tyreeq Bakinson in the centre of midfield with skipper Sam Morsy serving the second game of his four-match ban. Centre-half George Edmundson again wore the armband.
Tom Carroll and Kayden Jackson were missing from the 18, while James Norwood and Sone Aluko were among the subs having started against the Dons, as were Rekeem Harper and Vaclav Hladky, who has been absent for the last two matches due to illness.
Wednesday gave debuts to loan signings Jordan Storey and Harlee Dean in their three-man defence, while eight-goal top-scorer Lee Gregory missed out due to foot injury with Josh Windass coming in for his second league start of the season. Former Town loanee Massimo Luongo started in the Owls' midfield.
After both teams had taken a knee, the Blues, in their black third kit, dominated the ball in the early stages.
However, Wednesday took the lead in the sixth minute following their first spell in possession of the afternoon.
After Edmundson had lost the ball on Town’s left touchline, Mendez-Laing brought it forward down the right before sending over a deep cross and Johnson, who had broken away from Wes Burns, volleyed a low shot back across Christian Walton and into the corner of the net.
Town continued to see most of the ball, although with Wednesday more involved than they had been before their goal. However, Town had shown nothing in the final third until a 16th minute Janoi Donacien cross from the right which was headed clear.
There was a scare for the Blues in the 18th minute when Florian Kamberi was sent away behind the Town backline by Luongo but Luke Woolfenden got back to force him inside and Edmundson smashed the ball out for a corner from which Dean headed across the face and wide with no one able to add a further touch.
Wednesday were beginning to get on top with their fans, previously quiet despite the goal, starting to get behind them. On 23, Mendez-Laing took the ball inside following a short corner but screwed his shot well wide.
A minute later, Windass hit an effort wide, before Dean was shown the game’s first yellow card for a foul on Celina in the centre circle.
Town threatened for the first time on half hour when Bakinson clipped a looping ball to the far post but it bounced over Thompson and out for a goal-kick. A minute later, Celina brought it forward before shooting well over from the edge of the box.
On 37, Burns, who moments earlier had been given instruction by manager McKenna, was sent away down the right and sent in a cross which was cleared at the back post.
Wednesday should have made it 2-0 in the 40th minute when Edmundson got the merest of touches on Barry Bannan’s cross from the left and took it away from Kamberi. The former Rangers man laid it to Mendez-Laing, who subsequently worked himself space eight yards out and seemed certain to score but somehow hit his shot the wrong side of the post.
Celina wasted a Blues free-kick on the right in the 42nd minute, although in the aftermath the Kosovan international sent Donacien away on the right and his cross was diverted towards his own goal by a Wednesday defender, but Bailey Peacock-Farrell in the Owls goal was able to claim.
Kamberi forced Walton to save at his near post on 44, then from the corner Sam Hutchinson headed straight at the Blues keeper. A foot either wide of him and it would have been a goal.
That was the last chance of a half which Town had started brightly before conceding from the Owls’ first attack.
Thereafter, the Blues had long spells of possession but largely in their own half and they have been unable to create a serious opportunity, while the home side had more than enough chances to make it 2-0 with Town getting sloppier the longer the half progressed.
The Blues started the second half more on the front foot. El Mizouni made a strong run from deep into the Wednesday half in the 48th minute, having made a slick turn to get away from Bannan.
Bakinson shot against a defender having won the ball back midway inside the Owls’ half.
Wednesday had another chance to make it 2-0 in the 54th minute when Windass’s cross-shot from a tight angle was palmed out to Bannan who couldn’t keep it down as he broke into six-yard box at speed. Thompson complained that he had been fouled by Windass and may have had a case.
As the game moved into its final half hour, the Blues were dominating possession but still without being able to find a way through the Owls.
On 62 Kamberi had the ball in the Town net following a Wednesday break but having strayed a long way offside. A minute later, the home side swapped Mendez-Laing for Liam Palmer.
In the 67th minute, a Kamberi cross from the right found Johnson on the edge of the box but the Owls’ goalscorer hit this effort the wrong side of Walton’s left post.
Town were continuing to have long spells on the ball but without carving out an opportunity and it was little surprise when McKenna made a double change in the 71st minute with Aluko and Norwood taking over from Chaplin and El Mizouni.
Almost immediately, Wednesday again went close to a second. The ball was cut back to the edge of the area for Bannan, who hit a powerful strike which was destined for the top corner until Walton brilliantly got across to palm it away from goal.
After the Blues had defended the corner, the Owls swapped Windass for Tyreece John-Jules, who was making his home debut having signed on loan from Arsenal.
Moments later, Town weren’t too far away from an equaliser when a Burns cross from the right reached Aluko via Norwood and the Nigerian international hit a shot which was blocked.
On 77 a deep cross from the right found Thompson, who hit a shot which deflected behind off a defender.
Two minutes later, Norwood headed over at the back post from a deep Celina corner from the left. Ahead of the goal-kick, Joe Pigott took over from Bonne. On 84, Owls goalscorer Johnson was replaced by Jack Hunt having suffered a knock.
The game appeared to be petering out but on 88 Burns nodded a ball into the box back towards Pigott but it was looped behind.
In the final scheduled minute, Woolfenden brought it forward and exchanged passes before his cross was cut out. However, the Blues kept the ball in the final third and Norwood hit a shot which was deflected behind.
As the fourth official’s board indicated five additional minutes, the corner was played short and Aluko put it behind the goal, his frustration summing up Town’s afternoon.
A disappointing result and display from the Blues, who started positively but having conceded never really looked like getting an equaliser.
Although Town had a lot of the ball most of their possession was in safe areas and lacked tempo, while Wednesday had a number of opportunities from which they should have made it 2-0.
The result - manager McKenna’s second defeat in his six games in charge and the poorest performance of his time at Portman Road - sees the Blues drop a place to ninth in the table, back to eight points from the play-offs with second-bottom Gillingham at Portman Road next Saturday.
Sheffield Wednesday: Peacock-Farrell, Storey, Dean, Hutchinson, Mendez-Laing (Palmer 63), Dele-Bashiru, Luongo, Bannan, (c) Johnson (Hunt 84), Windass (John-Jules 73), Kamberi. Unused: Wildsmith, Byers, Paterson, Sow.
Town: Walton, Donacien, Woolfenden, Edmundson (c), Burns, Bakinson, El Mizouni (Norwood 71), Thompson, Celina, Chaplin (Aluko 71), Bonne (Pigott 79). Unused: Hladky, Burgess, Harper, Edwards. Referee: Darren Bond (Lancashire). Att: 23,517 (Town: 2,818).